U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,139, which is incorporated by reference herein, has disclosed connecting a starter unit for starting an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle in direct thermally conducting contact to an inner side of a clutch housing via a starter ring which is connected to a drive shaft of the internal combustion engine. The starter unit has a starter shaft which protrudes out of a motor housing with a pinion, it being possible for the pinion to mesh with the starter ring which is attached to a flywheel. The motor housing is arranged radially outside with respect to a clutch which is arranged inside the clutch housing, the clutch being connected directly to the flywheel via axially running screws, in order to couple the drive shaft, connected to the flywheel, of the internal combustion engine to a transmission input shaft of a motor vehicle transmission which is connected to the clutch housing.
There is a constant need to reduce installation space requirements for positioning a drive train in a motor vehicle body.